About Pessach Ruch

Pesach Ruch was one of the wealthy and influential citizens in Rakiskis who decided to stay behind. A tragic decision for many. As fate would have it, Pesah’s decendents were saved by a peculiar twist in history. A short lived agreement between Nazi Germany and Russia brought the Red Army to Lithuania and with it the deportantion of many Jews including Pesah Ruch and all of those who were in his home at the time.

As a wealthy 'capitalist' Pesah was considdered an “anti-revolutionery” and, in 1941, together with his son Leib and daughter Batya, were sent to the village of Pavlosk, in the Altae region of Siberia. Pesah was forbidden from travel beyond a 50 kilometer radius of that village. Fish was their staple diet as meat was both scarce and if available, was not kosher.

Pessah Ruch died there in 1959. After his passing the restrictions extended through him on his family were relaxed and his son and daughter, with their families were allowed, in 1961, 20 years after their exile, to return to the country of their birth.

From there the unsettled family spent time in Riga and Kovna and eventually made their way to Israel in 1964 where they live to this day.

At the time of their exile by the Russians from Rakiskis, some of Pessah Ruch’s children escaped the deportation by the Russians. That fateful decision resulted in their deaths at the hands of the Nazi’s soon after. Source:Pinhas Ruch, Israel

THE PESACH RUCH LEGEND

(extract from "the Peculiarity of Rakishok in Jewish Lithuania" by J. Shali, Translated by Rae Meltzer. The Memorial Book of Rokiskis)

"There is a legend about Pesach Ruch who was of the first generation. According to the legend, Pesach Ruch was a poor man proior to WW1. During the war most of the Rakishok Jews were forced to flee but Pesach was one of the Jews who went into hiding in Rakishok until the end of the war. A polish landlord, who owned all of Rakishok, was looking for a place to hide from his enemies. By chance he was helped by the God-fearing poor man, Pesach Ruch. Later the lord bestowed great wealth upon Pesach Ruch. Ruch then became an even more devout Chassid and went to fetch his Rabbi bringing him to Rakishok too"

A photograph of Pesach Ruch's home and business in Rakiskis can be seen at this website photoalbum RAKISKIS HISTORICAL of Leonard (Len) Charney